System of containers for at least two liquids and a pressure gas



Jan. W, 1958 H. THOMANN ETAL 2,818,914

} SYSTEM OF CONTAINERS FOR AT LEAST TWO LIQUIDS AND A PRESSURE GAS Filed Feb. 26, 1954 INVENTORS HANS THOMANN & ARNOLD STECK WMs M SYSTEM F CONTAINERS FOR AT LEAST TWO LIQUIDS AND A PRESSURE GAS Hans Thomann and Arnold Steck, Vaduz, Bartlegrosch,

Liechtenstein, assigriors to Machine Tool Works oeritlion, Adn'iinistration Company, Zurieu-oerlikun, Switremain, a company bf Switzerland Application February 26, 1954, Serial No. 412,840

Claims priority, application Switzerland February 28, 1953 1 Claim. or. 158-365) Thepresent invention relates to a system of containers for at least two liquids and a pressure gas, for jexample as used in liquid propulsion means for rockets. Such rocket propulsion means operate mostly with self-igniting fuel combinations which consist of the fuel proper and an oxygen caf'rier. These fuel components must be stored separately from one another, and fed through separate pipe lines to the combustion chamber, where they ignite spontaneously upon meeting with one another.

it has been proposed to store the fuel and the oxygen carrier in separate cylindrical containers, and to build into the same longitudinally shiftable pistons, so called free-pistons. When subject to the action of a gas under pressure, e. g. of compressed air, these pistons then feed the content of the containers through the pipe lines into the combustion chamber. The pressure gas is carried under a very high pressure in a particularly strongly built container which is often constructed spherically.

The separate arrangement of the containers has the disadvantage of great requirement of space in the interior of the rocket body. It has therefore been suggested, to shape the pressure gas container cylindrically and to arrange it in the axis of the rocket, and to construct the containers for the fuel and for the oxygen carrier as pipe coils, helically wound around the pressure gas container.

This manner of construction, too, causes considerable waste in space, and moreover the production of the coiled containers ofiers certain difiiculties, since the cross section of the tube must not be deformed lest the feeder piston running in it may jam or develop a leak. Moreover such pipe coils have the tendency of increasing their coil diameter under the action of the considerable feed pressure, like for example the well known Bourdon tubes of pressure gauges, and therefore require additional support.

The present invention has the main objects of overcoming these difficulties and of providing a system of containers for at least two liquids and a pressure gas, which is simple and inexpensive in production, and reliable in operation.

With these and other objects in view we provide a systern of containers for at least two liquids and one pressure gas, comprising in combination: a central cylindrical pressure gas container and at least two cylindrical liquid containers coaxially surrounding the said central pressure gas container and one another, annular free pistons shiftably arranged between the outer wall surface of the said central pressure gas container and the inner wall face of the smallest coaxial liquid container, and between the inner and outer Wall surfaces of the surrounding liquid container, respectively, lids attached at both ends of the said central pres-sure gas container, lids common to the said coaxial liquid containers attached at both ends of the latter and anchored to the said central pressure gas container, and ducting means putting the said pressure gas container in controllable communication with the said liquid containers.

Preferably we use a central fiangeless tubular pressure rates Patent 0 ice gas container, screw-tapped at its end, lids slidably inserted from both sides into the said container, each lid having a shoulder at its inner end and a screw thread at its outer end, a screw-threaded ring screwed into the said screw tapped end, a packing ring having in the initial condition a parallelogram shape cross section and consisting of a soft metal, arranged between the said shoulder and the inner end face of the said screw threaded ring, the said lid being forced outwardly by gas pressure ap lied to the interior of the said pres-sure gas container and deforming the'said packing ring to a rectangular cross section between the said shoulder and the said screw-threaded ring.

These and other objects and features of our said invention will be clearly understood from the following description of an embodiment thereof given by way of example with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the system of containers according to the invention, N

Fig. 2 is a transverse section along the line II--II of Fig. 1, partly broken away, and

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on a larger scale of a lid of the pressure gas container, the upper half of Fig. 3 representing the lid in the position after assembly, and the lower half of Fig. 3 representing the said lid in the sealed position under an operative gas pressure.

The central pressure gas container 1 contains for ex ample compressed air under a maximum pressure of about 300 kilograms per square centimetre. It consists of a flangeless tube and two lids 2, which are fixed by means of a screw-threaded ring 3 screwed into the tube and of an annular nut 4 screwed on to the threaded outer end of lid 2. v

The sealing is effected by a packingring 5 of rho'mbi'c or parallelogram cross section (see Fig. 3) of a soft metal, for example aluminium, which is inserted between the said screw-threaded ring 3 and a ring flange at the inner end of the lid 2. The packing ring 5 retains its original cross section even after the screwing on of the threaded ring 3 and of the annular nut 4. Thereby a prelimi nary seal is attained. The sealing proper is effected automatically when filling in the compressed air of 300 kilograms per square centimetre, which forces the two lids 2 outwardly into a position as shown in the lower half of Fig. 3. The packing ring 5 is then deformed to a rectangular cross section and secures a faultless seal of the lid 2. This arrangement permits a fiangeless construction of the pressure gas container, and the sealing is effected automatically, while for the preliminary sealing the application of a low force sut'fices when screwing on the annular nut 4.

The pressure gas container 1 is filled with pressure gas of at least 300 kg./cm. for a trial, before assembling the exterior acid containers 6 and 7. Thereby the two lids 2 move'to a position as indicated in the lower part of Fig. 3. Thereupon ring 4 is again screwed tight and then the assembly of the exterior acid containers 6 and 7, arranged coaxially to the pressure gas container 1, can be accomplished. These are made of corrosion-resisting material and consist of flangeless tubes, which are closed at both ends by a lid 8 on each side which is common to both of them. The inner container 6 contains the fuel, for example activated kerosene, whereas "the outer container 7 contains the oxygen carrier, for example nitric acid. Two clamp rings 9 and 10 are fastened by screws 22 to the lid 8, with appropriate packings 11, secure the sealing of the two containers. The annular nuts 3 and 4 are provided with bores 23 and 24 into which special keys can be inserted for screwing the nuts tightly onto the tube 1 and the lids 2. The two lids 8 are anchored on the lids 2 of the pressure gas container by means of annular nuts 2, which are screwed on the same thread as the aforesaid annular nut 4. Two collars 12 are riveted or screwed into the ends of outer container 7 to secure the acid container 7 against being shifted relative to the lids 8. Into the two containers 6 and 7 annular freepistons 13 and 14, with suitable packings 15, are built, which are slidable over the whole length of the container. The pressure gas container 1 is in communication with the two containers 6 and 7 through a pressure regulator 16 of the usual type and the two pressure pipes 17 and 18, respectively. On the opposite side of the containers, liquid discharge sockets 19 and 20 are arranged which are connected with the fuel pipes to the combustion chamber (not shown).

The manner of operation of the device is as follows: With the liquid containers 6 and 7 completely filled, the two free-pistons 13, 14 are in the initial position as shown in Fig. 1. When the rocket is started, the supply of the compressed air to the pressure regulator 16 is released by suitable valve means (not shown). The said pressure regulator reduces the air pressure from for example 300 kilograms per square centimetre, at the beginning of the supply, to the supply pressure of for example 40 kilograms per square centimetre, and passes the compressed air through the two pressure pipes 17, 18 into the liquid containers 6, 7, where it drives the two free-pistons 13, 14 towards the right hand side in Fig. 1, and thereby forces the contents of the containers through the liquid discharge sockets 19, 20 into the fuel pipes towards the combustion chamber. The pressure regulator 16 keeps the feed pressure of for example 40 kilograms per square centimeter, and accordingly maintains a contant output effect of the free-pistons 13, 14, in spite of the diminishing primary pressure in the pressure gas container 1.

While we have herein described and illustrated in the accompanying drawing 'what may be considered a typical and particularly useful embodiment of our said invention, we wish it to be understood, that we do not limit ourselves to the particular details and dimensions described and illustrated, for obvious modifications will occur to a person skilled in the art.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letter Patent, is:

A system of containers for at least two liquids and one pressure gas, comprising in combination a central flangeless tube threaded internally at each end, two lids slidably inserted one from each end of said tube to form a pressure gas chamber with said tube, each lid having a shoulder at its inner end and a screw thread at its outer end, a screw-threaded ring screwed into each of the said threaded ends of the tube, a packing ring having in the initial condition a parallelogram shape cross section and consisting of a soft metal, arranged between the said shoulder and the inner end face of the said screw threaded ring on each lid, the said lids being forced outwardly by gas pressure applied to the interior of the said pressure gas container and deforming the said packing rings to a rectangular cross section between the said shoulder and the said screw-threaded ring, at least two cylindrical liquid containers coaxially surrounding the said pressure gas container and one another, annular free-pistons arranged between the outer wall surface of the said central pressure gas container and the inner wall surface of'the smallest coaxial liquid container, and between the inner and outer wall surfaces of the surrounding liquid container, respectively, lids common to the said liquid containers at both ends of the latter and anchored to the said lids of the said central pressure gas container, and ducting means putting the said pressure gas container into controllable communication with the said liquid containers.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,560,016 Chapman Nov. 3, 1925 1,623,101 Fisher Apr. 5, 1927 

